What Is Safe to Delete on a Gaming PC, and What to Leave Alone
Short answer
UpdatedSafe to delete: old temporary files, Windows Update downloads that are already installed, crash dumps and error reports, browser caches and the Recycle Bin. Shader caches can be deleted too, but games rebuild them and stutter while they do. Leave the registry, the Prefetch folder and the WinSxS folder alone. Deleting files frees space; it does not raise your frame rate.
Key takeaways
- Cleaning frees space. It only helps performance when the system drive was nearly full.
- Temporary files, installed update downloads, crash dumps and browser caches come back by themselves when needed.
- Deleting shader caches makes games stutter until the cache is rebuilt. Do it to fix a problem, not as routine.
- Registry cleaners do not make a PC faster and can break things. A good cleaner does not have one.
- Safe
- Temp files, update downloads, crash dumps, browser caches
- Costs you something
- Shader caches (stutter once), Recycle Bin (no way back)
- Leave alone
- Registry, Prefetch, WinSxS, driver store
- Helps performance when
- The system drive was nearly full
What can go, and what happens when it does?
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary files | Safe, if they are not in use | Apps and installers leave them behind. Files from the last few days can still belong to an installer that is waiting for a restart, so only older ones should go. |
| Windows Update downloads | Safe | Update files that are already installed. If Windows needs one again, it downloads it again. |
| Crash dumps and error reports | Safe | Memory snapshots from crashes. Only useful to someone who is debugging that crash, and they can be several gigabytes. |
| Browser caches | Safe | Stored copies of pages and images. Logins, history and open tabs are kept elsewhere and stay. Close the browser first. |
| Shader caches | Only for a reason | Compiled shaders of your games. Without them a game compiles again while you play, which is exactly the stutter people try to get rid of. Worth deleting after a driver update that caused glitches. |
| Recycle Bin | Your call | Emptying it is the one step here that cannot be undone, so it should never happen without you asking for it. |
What should a cleaner never touch?
- The registry. "Fixing" thousands of registry entries is the oldest trick in this category. Unused entries cost nothing, and removing the wrong one breaks an app.
- Prefetch. Windows uses it to start programs faster. Clearing it makes the next starts slower, not faster.
- WinSxS. It looks huge because of how Windows counts files that exist once and are linked many times. Windows has its own cleanup for it; deleting from it by hand can break updates.
- The driver store. Old driver packages are how "roll back driver" works.
- Game files. A cleaner has no business in a game's folder.
How do I do it by hand?
Open Storage in Windows Settings
Settings, System, Storage shows what takes up the drive. "Temporary files" there lists the groups Windows itself is willing to remove.
Tick the groups you want
Leave "Downloads" unticked unless you really mean it: that is your own Downloads folder.
Clear browser caches in the browser
Each browser has it under its privacy settings. Choose cached images and files only, not cookies, or you are signed out everywhere.
What does the Cleaner tab in Frozen Tweaks do?
The Cleaner tab follows the list above. It looks through the folders first and shows how much each group holds, and it deletes only the groups you leave switched on.
- Temporary files: only files older than a week, so nothing that an installer may still need.
- Windows Update downloads, crash dumps and error reports.
- Browser caches of Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox. Logins, history and tabs stay.
- Shader caches and the Recycle Bin are in the list too, but switched off until you switch them on.
- No registry cleaner, and nothing inside a game's folder.
Frozen Tweaks
Free for Windows 10 and 11
The Cleaner tab is part of Frozen Tweaks 2.0. It shows the sizes before anything is deleted.
v2.0.0 · 6.4 MB · Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit · free account, no payment details
Or type frozentweaks.com on your PC.
Questions
Is it safe to delete everything in the Temp folder?
Mostly, but not everything at once. Files that a running program or a pending installation uses should stay, which is why Windows refuses to delete some of them and why a careful cleaner only takes older files.
Should I delete my shader cache regularly?
No. The cache is what prevents shader compilation stutter. Delete it when a game shows graphical glitches or stutters after a driver update, and expect one or two rough sessions while it is rebuilt.
Will cleaning my PC increase FPS?
Only if the system drive was almost full. Frame rate is decided by the processor, the graphics card, memory and what runs in the background, not by how many old files sit on the drive.
Do I need a registry cleaner?
No. Leftover registry entries do not slow Windows down in any way you could measure, and removing entries by pattern is how cleaners break programs.
Written by
Frost LIVEFounder of Frozen Tweaks, based in Hamburg, Germany. Publishes settings guides for competitive games on his YouTube channel, Frost LIVE.
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Frozen Tweaks
Free for Windows 10 and 11
58 tweaks free, each with an undo switch. Never edits game files.
v2.0.0 · 6.4 MB · Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit · free account, no payment details
Or type frozentweaks.com on your PC.
The free Windows app for competitive games.
58 tweaks free, each with an undo switch. Never edits game files.
v2.0.0 · 6.4 MB · Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit · free account, no payment details
Frozen Tweaks runs on Windows. Send the link to your PC and download it there.
Or type frozentweaks.com on your PC.